Sleep awaitsme!
- Typoed on my iPhone
Location:Banning-Idyllwild Panoramic Hwy,Idyllwild,United States
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Mile 151: zero days are exhausting
We took showers, talked to our mothers, did laundry, went grocery shopping, took food inventory, checked for packages at the post office, got some stuff at the local outfitter, checked out the detour around sketchy Fuller Ridge, ate smoked salmon, $1.25 tostadas, and margaritas with some other hikers, and it was more exhausting than hiking 20 miles. I can see how people have a hard time adjusting back to normal life, we sure are barely a week into hiking!
Sleep awaitsme!
- Typoed on my iPhone
Sleep awaitsme!
- Typoed on my iPhone
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Idyllwild resupply
Sorry, I stopped blogging, obviously. Let's see.... To summarize, we stopped and resupplied in Warner Springs with some delicious help from my mom, relaxed, and split a hotel room 5 ways.
It's getting hotter, and it sucks the very will to live out of Carmen and I. We just start earlier and earlier every morning.
I finally joined the blister club with everyone else, and I have a huge one between my pinky toe and the next one on my left foot. It didn't hurt at all when I got it, but now it feels awful. I'm glad to be doing not so many miles while in Idylwild. My left knee is also starting to hurt. I wonder if I'm favoring my left foot and it's making me walk funny. I am very seriously considering from running shoes/flip flops to hiking boots/Chacos. Ankle support, I dream of you! Let's face it, we're not ultralight hikers and I am earning a reputation from my water source paranoia, I carry a lot. I should support myself appropriately.
Okay, time to sleep. There are a lot of detours in this section, so if you see our SPOT track way off the trail and along fire access roads, DON'T PANIC!
I may have a trail name: it started as "Princess Polkadot" when I was whining, then when I found some free crocs today that fit, it became "Polkarella Cinderdots" but it's a huge mouthful and hard to remember, so I shorfenes it to "Polkadot." we decided on a team name too: Mexico or Bust. We can feign confusion every time we run into people who know which way is south.
- Typoed on my iPhone
It's getting hotter, and it sucks the very will to live out of Carmen and I. We just start earlier and earlier every morning.
I finally joined the blister club with everyone else, and I have a huge one between my pinky toe and the next one on my left foot. It didn't hurt at all when I got it, but now it feels awful. I'm glad to be doing not so many miles while in Idylwild. My left knee is also starting to hurt. I wonder if I'm favoring my left foot and it's making me walk funny. I am very seriously considering from running shoes/flip flops to hiking boots/Chacos. Ankle support, I dream of you! Let's face it, we're not ultralight hikers and I am earning a reputation from my water source paranoia, I carry a lot. I should support myself appropriately.
Okay, time to sleep. There are a lot of detours in this section, so if you see our SPOT track way off the trail and along fire access roads, DON'T PANIC!
I may have a trail name: it started as "Princess Polkadot" when I was whining, then when I found some free crocs today that fit, it became "Polkarella Cinderdots" but it's a huge mouthful and hard to remember, so I shorfenes it to "Polkadot." we decided on a team name too: Mexico or Bust. We can feign confusion every time we run into people who know which way is south.
- Typoed on my iPhone
Mile 91: Jimmy buffeted
I have been told that these are way too long and verbose to read. Sorry. It is ridiculous to summarize once for an internet audience, and go into detail all over again for my own journal.
I therefor adapting an Olsson-style summary format, and taking on anything else at the end.
Best part of the day: sleeping in a real bed.
Worst part of the day: not knowing what to do when I oissed Carmen off.
Sensory experience:
-strong winds trying to blow me off the narrow, rocky trail on the sides of very steep mountains
-smell of crushed sage
-new hill has new plants: barrel cacti made it look pimply, tall green thing got "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid stuck in my head
Fun of the day: hiking with hot hiker boy!
- Typoed on my iPhone
Mile 77: free pie!
4/28/2010
9 miles in 3.25 hours of actual hiking
Fun of the day: pie!
This morning started off terribly. Carmen and I already can't sleep because our Z-shite foam pads only allow us to sleep on our backs: the snoring position. It was super windy last night, so Carmen hardly got an hour of sleep, I got a little more thanks to my handy earplugs. When my alarm went off at 5:30, we were both already awake, but had no desire to get out of our sleeping bags. We stalled, see illustration number 1: Bear safety- eating in the tent.
When we finally got out of the tent, it immediately flew away. Carmen was already up atthe main camp, filling water bottles. I let out a strangled gurgle of an animal scream, and went tearing through the spiky brush after it. The tent and seven of the eight stakes were recovered, thanks to Carmen's patience and perseverence, but the adrenaline rush left me exhausted and out of it for the rest of the day.
We hiked downhill all day, the knees were not happy. We learned that Mom's Pie Shop in Julian gave free (whole) pies to thru-hikers with PCT permits, so I begged, pleaded, and pouted until Carmen agreed to try the hard hitch there. Right at the previously agreed "give up" time, a little red car with a little old man and two hiker buds inside pulled over. We had our packs in our laps and no view of the very curvy road, but we got to the pie-obsessed town of Julian and gorged ourselves on delicious apple-boysenberry and strawberry-rhubarb pie. It took more debate, searching, armtwisting, and haggling, but we found a hotel that hooked us up well: four beds for under $20/person, AND free laundry AND space to examine and mend the tent. So we sat around in towels as we waited for laundry, and everyone but me went to bed at the unreasonably late hour of 8:45. I was suergluing, sewing, and supergluing some more until 1 am.
- Typoed on my iPhone
9 miles in 3.25 hours of actual hiking
Fun of the day: pie!
This morning started off terribly. Carmen and I already can't sleep because our Z-shite foam pads only allow us to sleep on our backs: the snoring position. It was super windy last night, so Carmen hardly got an hour of sleep, I got a little more thanks to my handy earplugs. When my alarm went off at 5:30, we were both already awake, but had no desire to get out of our sleeping bags. We stalled, see illustration number 1: Bear safety- eating in the tent.
When we finally got out of the tent, it immediately flew away. Carmen was already up atthe main camp, filling water bottles. I let out a strangled gurgle of an animal scream, and went tearing through the spiky brush after it. The tent and seven of the eight stakes were recovered, thanks to Carmen's patience and perseverence, but the adrenaline rush left me exhausted and out of it for the rest of the day.
We hiked downhill all day, the knees were not happy. We learned that Mom's Pie Shop in Julian gave free (whole) pies to thru-hikers with PCT permits, so I begged, pleaded, and pouted until Carmen agreed to try the hard hitch there. Right at the previously agreed "give up" time, a little red car with a little old man and two hiker buds inside pulled over. We had our packs in our laps and no view of the very curvy road, but we got to the pie-obsessed town of Julian and gorged ourselves on delicious apple-boysenberry and strawberry-rhubarb pie. It took more debate, searching, armtwisting, and haggling, but we found a hotel that hooked us up well: four beds for under $20/person, AND free laundry AND space to examine and mend the tent. So we sat around in towels as we waited for laundry, and everyone but me went to bed at the unreasonably late hour of 8:45. I was suergluing, sewing, and supergluing some more until 1 am.
- Typoed on my iPhone
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Mile 53: Slackpackers!
4/2?/2010 (Monday)
Woke up early, bad condensation in the tent. Hiked two miles to get water, nerves wore thin over the water filter. I realize now that it may be bad that all our communal gear other than the pot are mine: tent, filter, and stove. Carmen's good with gear, but the difference in how I do things as they are mine is different from how somebody else may do them as if they were their own. But we chillax and move on.
We finally got into different biomes today! As we headed into the bigger mountains, the drainages were pine forests with Ponderosa pines. It was so exciting every time we left the chaparral for the shaded forest with such soft, springy ground and amazing, relaxing scent. We even came across patches of snow today: most were about one square foot, but I found one big enough to make a snowangel today. It was then and there that I decided no matter how mileage obsessed we become once we magically morph into trail goddesses, we should make sure to do some thing fun every single day.
As my leg hair grows longer and I smell worse and worse, I become more and more convinced that I am manly and don't want to be. Carmen pointed out something reassuringly non-masculine about me when I asked a local-looking man walking his dog at a trail junction about the best way to get to Mt Laguna: I have no fear, and waste no time in asking for directions. If the opportunity to do so presents itself, I figure it's most efficient to do so.
We waited on the porch of Mt Laguna post office and general store for two hours waiting for the noon opening. At least twenty, maybe thirty packs were lined up at 11:50. It was fun hanging out and lounging around with the other hikers with no sense of urgency to get up and move out. Chance told me about two things I want to Google for myself: a Featherlight XL stove, the iPhone app Peaks, and a spreadsheet of PCT places and cell providers to figure out what mountaintops have service. If anybody else feels like doing tha themselves on their big computer screens with fast connections, I would really like the link.
When Carmen retrieved our resupply package (completely unnecessary, the general store had great options), the postmistress congratulated us on our good eye candy and odds. "Sometimes the men just take off their shirts; and they are just so good looking!" Yes ma'am, I am enjoying more than one view. We sent at least half of our granola and trail mix ahead to Idyllwild. It was depressing, the waste of money, and how our packs were once again much heavier.
As we got ready to head out, we ran into Paladin and Anika, who were getting a ride from Hippie Longstockings. She offered to slack-pack our packs to our day's destination, so we threw our packs into the back of her truck, and took two of her daypacks with water and sunscreen for a faster, lighter trip. It was awesome! I hope we got some muscle memory of fast-hiking for when our muscles can handle it. We felt really guilty passing other bikers carrying their packs, and even more embarassed when they passed us. When Hippie picked us up, she took us back to their campsite at Mount Laguna. We ate our own food in order to get rid of the weight, but she fed Paladin and Anika, gave us some turkey to enrich our vegetarian-chheesy-sloppy-Joe-orzo, and just generally took really good care of us. It was fun to hang out, and I look forward to seeing her again when she passes us on her way north.
- Typoed on my iPhone
Woke up early, bad condensation in the tent. Hiked two miles to get water, nerves wore thin over the water filter. I realize now that it may be bad that all our communal gear other than the pot are mine: tent, filter, and stove. Carmen's good with gear, but the difference in how I do things as they are mine is different from how somebody else may do them as if they were their own. But we chillax and move on.
We finally got into different biomes today! As we headed into the bigger mountains, the drainages were pine forests with Ponderosa pines. It was so exciting every time we left the chaparral for the shaded forest with such soft, springy ground and amazing, relaxing scent. We even came across patches of snow today: most were about one square foot, but I found one big enough to make a snowangel today. It was then and there that I decided no matter how mileage obsessed we become once we magically morph into trail goddesses, we should make sure to do some thing fun every single day.
As my leg hair grows longer and I smell worse and worse, I become more and more convinced that I am manly and don't want to be. Carmen pointed out something reassuringly non-masculine about me when I asked a local-looking man walking his dog at a trail junction about the best way to get to Mt Laguna: I have no fear, and waste no time in asking for directions. If the opportunity to do so presents itself, I figure it's most efficient to do so.
We waited on the porch of Mt Laguna post office and general store for two hours waiting for the noon opening. At least twenty, maybe thirty packs were lined up at 11:50. It was fun hanging out and lounging around with the other hikers with no sense of urgency to get up and move out. Chance told me about two things I want to Google for myself: a Featherlight XL stove, the iPhone app Peaks, and a spreadsheet of PCT places and cell providers to figure out what mountaintops have service. If anybody else feels like doing tha themselves on their big computer screens with fast connections, I would really like the link.
When Carmen retrieved our resupply package (completely unnecessary, the general store had great options), the postmistress congratulated us on our good eye candy and odds. "Sometimes the men just take off their shirts; and they are just so good looking!" Yes ma'am, I am enjoying more than one view. We sent at least half of our granola and trail mix ahead to Idyllwild. It was depressing, the waste of money, and how our packs were once again much heavier.
As we got ready to head out, we ran into Paladin and Anika, who were getting a ride from Hippie Longstockings. She offered to slack-pack our packs to our day's destination, so we threw our packs into the back of her truck, and took two of her daypacks with water and sunscreen for a faster, lighter trip. It was awesome! I hope we got some muscle memory of fast-hiking for when our muscles can handle it. We felt really guilty passing other bikers carrying their packs, and even more embarassed when they passed us. When Hippie picked us up, she took us back to their campsite at Mount Laguna. We ate our own food in order to get rid of the weight, but she fed Paladin and Anika, gave us some turkey to enrich our vegetarian-chheesy-sloppy-Joe-orzo, and just generally took really good care of us. It was fun to hang out, and I look forward to seeing her again when she passes us on her way north.
- Typoed on my iPhone
Mile 68.4: We are social!
4/27/2010: 5th day hiking
15 miles in 5.5 hours actual hiking time.
Fun of the day: hiking with Alli
Carmen and I drew Hippie thank you cards like we were in first grade. Carmen included a woman holding a beer and a smokeable, mine was just an abstract combination of flowers, the moon, the sun, and the G3 pattern on my climbing skins stuffsack. Mine included, "We were going to hide some cash in your glovebox, but figured this would piss you off less." Sure enough, she refused cash when we offered, so we hid our notes for her to find later.
When we were ready to go, Hippie told us to help ourselves to anything in the cooler, and I was STARVING. I made myself a wrap with spinach, tomato, cucumber, chicken, turkey, bacon, cheddar, and ranch intended for lunch, but I immediately ate it and several chunks of chicken, bacon, and slices of turkey. Salty protein? I need it! I think my metabolism has finally adjusted to the increased load... after sending half my snacks and breakfast on to the next town.
Although 6:55 was a much later start than Carmen or I wanted, we got in a good deal of cool hiking, helped by the fact that the wind blew all day long. We ran into Andy and Alli, two mid-twenties nurses from Wisconsin, at the stream we stopped at for water five miles in. Andy suggested that Alli hike with us for the day and get some girl time. It was awesome! It's not that Carmen and I have run out of all topics of conversation, we're able to pratter on endlessly, but the possibilities were greatly expanded. I really like the couple, and I really hope this trip strengthens rather than weakens their bond.
We were able to see the snow capped mountains we'll be hiking through in a week, the San Jacintos I think, almost all day long as we dropped elevation (sometimes quite painfully). The views were amazing, all made surreal and magical looking from the smog/haze LA must be contributing, though invisible to us. By the end of the day, the winds were fiercely beating us. We hunkered down for the hottest part of the day under my footprint+rainfly "sunshade" after a brutal downhill.
At Rodriguez Spur Road, an outfitter in Julien (sp?) has set up a temporary hiker oasis in the middle of a 24 mile dry stretch. Ice cream was rumored, but potable water, solar showers, hot food, and tasty cold beverages were all a reality. Carmen and I are camped here for the night, with other thru-hikers: it's like we're being social! The three of us girls and some of the guys took showers. All of my leg tan washed away, and I looked at my body for the first time in over a week: I have bad chafe that I had never before noticed on my hips where my belt lies (this is a job for Bodyglide! Thanks Jeff) and my sunscreen/lack of showers is making me break out.
The expected storm seems to be moving in. I think all the wind has stirred up the pollen from all the wildflowers, the back of my throat is starting to itch. I'm hoping the storm drops some rain, scrubs the air, and breaks up our next dry stretch (30 miles) into smaller pieces. I tried drawing the alien-spaceship looking clouds for my stepfather the meteorologist. One of the excessively attractive scruffy hiker men came and sat down next to me, asking to see, and ended up talking with me until after night fell. Crossing fingers that the lesbian aura is wearing off!!!
- Typoed on my iPhone
15 miles in 5.5 hours actual hiking time.
Fun of the day: hiking with Alli
Carmen and I drew Hippie thank you cards like we were in first grade. Carmen included a woman holding a beer and a smokeable, mine was just an abstract combination of flowers, the moon, the sun, and the G3 pattern on my climbing skins stuffsack. Mine included, "We were going to hide some cash in your glovebox, but figured this would piss you off less." Sure enough, she refused cash when we offered, so we hid our notes for her to find later.
When we were ready to go, Hippie told us to help ourselves to anything in the cooler, and I was STARVING. I made myself a wrap with spinach, tomato, cucumber, chicken, turkey, bacon, cheddar, and ranch intended for lunch, but I immediately ate it and several chunks of chicken, bacon, and slices of turkey. Salty protein? I need it! I think my metabolism has finally adjusted to the increased load... after sending half my snacks and breakfast on to the next town.
Although 6:55 was a much later start than Carmen or I wanted, we got in a good deal of cool hiking, helped by the fact that the wind blew all day long. We ran into Andy and Alli, two mid-twenties nurses from Wisconsin, at the stream we stopped at for water five miles in. Andy suggested that Alli hike with us for the day and get some girl time. It was awesome! It's not that Carmen and I have run out of all topics of conversation, we're able to pratter on endlessly, but the possibilities were greatly expanded. I really like the couple, and I really hope this trip strengthens rather than weakens their bond.
We were able to see the snow capped mountains we'll be hiking through in a week, the San Jacintos I think, almost all day long as we dropped elevation (sometimes quite painfully). The views were amazing, all made surreal and magical looking from the smog/haze LA must be contributing, though invisible to us. By the end of the day, the winds were fiercely beating us. We hunkered down for the hottest part of the day under my footprint+rainfly "sunshade" after a brutal downhill.
At Rodriguez Spur Road, an outfitter in Julien (sp?) has set up a temporary hiker oasis in the middle of a 24 mile dry stretch. Ice cream was rumored, but potable water, solar showers, hot food, and tasty cold beverages were all a reality. Carmen and I are camped here for the night, with other thru-hikers: it's like we're being social! The three of us girls and some of the guys took showers. All of my leg tan washed away, and I looked at my body for the first time in over a week: I have bad chafe that I had never before noticed on my hips where my belt lies (this is a job for Bodyglide! Thanks Jeff) and my sunscreen/lack of showers is making me break out.
The expected storm seems to be moving in. I think all the wind has stirred up the pollen from all the wildflowers, the back of my throat is starting to itch. I'm hoping the storm drops some rain, scrubs the air, and breaks up our next dry stretch (30 miles) into smaller pieces. I tried drawing the alien-spaceship looking clouds for my stepfather the meteorologist. One of the excessively attractive scruffy hiker men came and sat down next to me, asking to see, and ended up talking with me until after night fell. Crossing fingers that the lesbian aura is wearing off!!!
- Typoed on my iPhone
Mile 36: Hiking again!
4/25/2010
Yay, we're finally on the trail again! After the rain and crispy days at Lake Morena, desert heat was far from our minds. We woke up at the leisurely hour of six (people had been packing up and leaving since four thirty), packed, had first breakfast, and left at eight. We didn't realize that the PCT actually goes THROUGH the campground, so we tried to pick it up where we had left off, and got plenty of funny looks until somebody took pity and pointed us in the right direction.
As we were packing up and Carmen was dealing with her stuff at the picnic table, a very spry old man with a long white beard who'd been singing back and forth with a friend all morning long came over and introduced himself as Gandalf, just wanting to be friendly since it seemed like I was alone and needed a friend. I know Tolkein's world doesn't extend much into our own, but it did feel like he was magic from the wide, unshakeable grin he left on my face. I hope we run into him more on the trail ahead.
We hiked with a guy from Nashville (with a confusing disappearing Australian accent) with the trail name of Anika. I actually asked, "What's the story behind that, since it sounds like a girl's name?" He actually chose it for himself, it comes from the Sanskrit word for "transient." We were both embarassed at that point.
We ate second breakfast (yes, we are becoming hobbits) with a female solo hiker named Burny/Bernie, she seems super nice but quiet- a nice break from kick-off personalities. We were passed by an ultralight hiker who never quite got Carmen's name right- "Carmine? Carmeng?" even when Carmen got me to intervene and say it with a different mouth. That was a bit awkward.
A guy named Pat refused to pass us, but was on our heels. Finally, I asked if he was using us to pace off of and he admitted yes, saying things like, "Slow and steady is the way to go," "Gotta slow down and stay strong," "Slow is hard to so but the easiest path to success." It seemed rather insulting, but I think it was with no such intention.
We had lunch with a guy we'd seen a lot of at the kick-off, he yelled "You're too hyper!" to us as we pranced, laughing hysterically, over a creeklet to the dry and warm pavilion. Next morning we saw Dan in a tangle of sil-nylon, and he said, "Don't give me funny looks, I forgot my tent stakes!" He is actually a really nice guy (it's all in the delivery), and he's hiking with his sixteen year old younger brother Joe. I think Carmen may have offended their delicate, pastor-raised and homeschooled sensibilities when she said, "god fucking damnit!" emphatically about something, but if they'll forgive our uncouth, smelly, hairy, and stinky ways, we really hope to hike more with them in the future. While we were lying around napping under the trees next to the creek, Dan asked, "I am sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but why do you have bear spray in southern California?" I explained that it's man spray out of bear country. "And you BOTH have a can because...?" because we're most likely to need it when we're separated.
We had enough water to dry camp, and found a really nice spot that we'll have to ourself since the stream nearby is dry. A guy we have been leapfrogging with all day named Chance hung out while we made dinner: mac'n'cheese with tuna and more cheese and even more cheese (it was delicious, same cuisine as our previous meals of couscous with chunks of cheese and split pea paste with cheese). He told about his $25 highly efficient adjustable alcohol stove and junk food stories from the Appalachian Trail. I was bummed when he had to move on to get water. I hope we see more of him too.
In the afternoon, I took an off-trail detour with trowel and tp in hand as Carmen continued hiking. I found a spot up on the hillside where I couldn't see the trail, and once crouched down among the bushes, couldn't see hardly anything. A moment after standing up and pulling my pants up, I hear, "Do you need help, is everything ok?" and I see the torsos of two hikers floating in field of bushes below where the trail must be Uh, fine, fine, everything is perfectly fine, don't come up here. They continued to try to have a shouting conversation with me! Then they decided to wait for me by my abandoned pack below. When I got back, they proceeded to tell me I didn't need to go so far away. I should have stuck around to give a lecture on exactly why everybody needs to "go" far away, but, embarassed at my audience, I high-tailed it out of there as fast as I could after giving cursory explanations to their questions.
- Typoed on my iPhone
Yay, we're finally on the trail again! After the rain and crispy days at Lake Morena, desert heat was far from our minds. We woke up at the leisurely hour of six (people had been packing up and leaving since four thirty), packed, had first breakfast, and left at eight. We didn't realize that the PCT actually goes THROUGH the campground, so we tried to pick it up where we had left off, and got plenty of funny looks until somebody took pity and pointed us in the right direction.
As we were packing up and Carmen was dealing with her stuff at the picnic table, a very spry old man with a long white beard who'd been singing back and forth with a friend all morning long came over and introduced himself as Gandalf, just wanting to be friendly since it seemed like I was alone and needed a friend. I know Tolkein's world doesn't extend much into our own, but it did feel like he was magic from the wide, unshakeable grin he left on my face. I hope we run into him more on the trail ahead.
We hiked with a guy from Nashville (with a confusing disappearing Australian accent) with the trail name of Anika. I actually asked, "What's the story behind that, since it sounds like a girl's name?" He actually chose it for himself, it comes from the Sanskrit word for "transient." We were both embarassed at that point.
We ate second breakfast (yes, we are becoming hobbits) with a female solo hiker named Burny/Bernie, she seems super nice but quiet- a nice break from kick-off personalities. We were passed by an ultralight hiker who never quite got Carmen's name right- "Carmine? Carmeng?" even when Carmen got me to intervene and say it with a different mouth. That was a bit awkward.
A guy named Pat refused to pass us, but was on our heels. Finally, I asked if he was using us to pace off of and he admitted yes, saying things like, "Slow and steady is the way to go," "Gotta slow down and stay strong," "Slow is hard to so but the easiest path to success." It seemed rather insulting, but I think it was with no such intention.
We had lunch with a guy we'd seen a lot of at the kick-off, he yelled "You're too hyper!" to us as we pranced, laughing hysterically, over a creeklet to the dry and warm pavilion. Next morning we saw Dan in a tangle of sil-nylon, and he said, "Don't give me funny looks, I forgot my tent stakes!" He is actually a really nice guy (it's all in the delivery), and he's hiking with his sixteen year old younger brother Joe. I think Carmen may have offended their delicate, pastor-raised and homeschooled sensibilities when she said, "god fucking damnit!" emphatically about something, but if they'll forgive our uncouth, smelly, hairy, and stinky ways, we really hope to hike more with them in the future. While we were lying around napping under the trees next to the creek, Dan asked, "I am sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but why do you have bear spray in southern California?" I explained that it's man spray out of bear country. "And you BOTH have a can because...?" because we're most likely to need it when we're separated.
We had enough water to dry camp, and found a really nice spot that we'll have to ourself since the stream nearby is dry. A guy we have been leapfrogging with all day named Chance hung out while we made dinner: mac'n'cheese with tuna and more cheese and even more cheese (it was delicious, same cuisine as our previous meals of couscous with chunks of cheese and split pea paste with cheese). He told about his $25 highly efficient adjustable alcohol stove and junk food stories from the Appalachian Trail. I was bummed when he had to move on to get water. I hope we see more of him too.
In the afternoon, I took an off-trail detour with trowel and tp in hand as Carmen continued hiking. I found a spot up on the hillside where I couldn't see the trail, and once crouched down among the bushes, couldn't see hardly anything. A moment after standing up and pulling my pants up, I hear, "Do you need help, is everything ok?" and I see the torsos of two hikers floating in field of bushes below where the trail must be Uh, fine, fine, everything is perfectly fine, don't come up here. They continued to try to have a shouting conversation with me! Then they decided to wait for me by my abandoned pack below. When I got back, they proceeded to tell me I didn't need to go so far away. I should have stuck around to give a lecture on exactly why everybody needs to "go" far away, but, embarassed at my audience, I high-tailed it out of there as fast as I could after giving cursory explanations to their questions.
- Typoed on my iPhone
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